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The fi rst time Bob Lewis sat down in front of a Keno machine,
all fi ve of the numbers he picked came in. He had turned $1 into
$500. That memory makes him smile. Then he talks about the time he
won $5,000 at a local ca-sino on the same type of slot machine. His
smile fades as he shares how he thought he could turn those
winnings into $50,000, but instead lost it all.
It felt really bad to walk out of there with nothing, he
says.
Bob, 69, lives on Social Security and a small pension from
General Dynam-ics. At one point, he thought he could supplement his
income by gambling. But that hasnt been in the cards for him.
Instead, he had two months where he couldnt pay his rent, relying
on the kindness of friends to give him a loan.
To Bob, gambling is more than the chance to make money. Gambling
gives him excitement that he hasnt found anywhere else, he says.
The fl ip side of that thrill is how bad he feels when he loses,
which comes much more often than the wins.
I understand the extraordinary odds, he admits. It just sucks
you in. Knowledge is not going to stop an addict. Youre not using
your mind; youre running on emotion. In fact, its nice not having
to use my mind. Im in my own world. A great escape.
March 2015
At Odds with the Pitfalls of Gambling
(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
He says that the best part of winning is being able to play
longer. He has even gambled 24 hours straight.
Bob has experienced VIP treatment at the casinos. After winning
streaks, he has been offered a limo to pick him up, free steak
dinners, even cash in his account to tap into as he plays Keno.
They have a way of making you feel like a big shot, he says.
At one point not too long ago, Bob realized that he was on the
brink of big trouble, however. He took $600 out of the ATM at a
casino and lost it.
I want to have fun with gambling, but I cant afford to lose.
Bob learned about a free treatment program for problem gamblers
through the Union of Pan Asian Com-munities (UPAC) and funded by
the
California Offi ce of Problem Gambling. He is now receiving that
help.
Some of the seniors who come to our program are already broke,
says Sunnyo Pak, Program Director for Addiction Treatment and
Recovery. Theyve lost their life savings, their 401Ks, and some
even their homes. Now instead of enjoying retirement, theyre
struggling to get basic needs met.
The treatment program involves nine hours a week of
BY ELLEN SCHMEDINGDIRECTOR, AGING & INDEPENDENCE
SERVICES
BOB LEWIS
-
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE)educational and process-group meetings,
including one-on-one counseling with a licensed clinician, and care
management. Treatment goes for 30 days, but additional treatment is
available, if needed, Sunnyo says.
Its a horrible illness and it hits anybody, she says. It doesnt
matter your social, economic, educational or ethnic background.
She says problem gambling is particularly tough on older adults
with fi xed incomes: Those seniors can no longer recoup money
theyve lost; their assets are limited. Young people can still work,
but for retirees, its hard.
Fortunately, Sunnyo says they have seen positive results from
the treatment: Recovery is real and attainable. The majority of
people who stick to the program succeed.
Bob says he has made signifi cant changes, but wants to continue
with the psychotherapy. He still gambles, but feels less out of
control with it. He plays Keno once a month, only takes $40 and he
leaves his debit card at home. He had himself banned at one casino,
so if he gambles there, all his winnings will be confi scated at
the end of the night and put into a fund used to mitigate
gambling-related problems.
One of his biggest goals is to pursue other activities, such as
golf, that give him enjoyment.
VITAL AGING SPEAKER ANNOUNCED
Paul Nussbaum, an international expert in brain health, will be
a speaker at the Vital Aging conference scheduled for Wednesday,
June 17. This years theme is Boosting Your Brainpower in support of
the Alzheimers
Project, and will focus on improv-ing your brain health through
nutrition, exercise, social interac-tion, mental stimulation and
more.
Dr. Nussbaum, a neuropsy-chologist at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is the founder of the Brain Health
Center, Inc., and author of Save Your Brain.
AIS coordinates the Vital Ag-ing conference every other year to
spotlight elements of health
and wellbeing for older adults. The free conference will be held
at two locations: McMillin Center in Liberty Station, 2875 Dewey,
San Diego 92106; and at the Cali-fornia Center for the Arts,
Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido 92025. Reservation
information will be provided in this bulletin next month.
SIGNS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING
Thinking about gambling frequently. Diffi culty stopping and
irritability when attempt-
ing to stop gambling. Needing to gamble more money to achieve
the
same excitement. Gambling to escape personal problems or un-
comfortable feelings. Placing relationships in jeopardy because
of
gambling. Gambling more to make up for past losses. Lying to
conceal how much money or time is
spent gambling. Relying on others for bail outs when faced
with fi nancial diffi culties.
You have such high adrenalin (with gambling), he says. And
loneliness and boredom are great motivators (to head to a casino).
I want to fi nd healthier ways to handle that.
For more information about the UPAC Problem Gam-bling Services,
call (619) 521-5720, ext. 313, or email: [email protected].
JIMBOS...NATURALLY! CUSTOMERS DONATED MORE THAN $7,000 IN
DECEMBER FOR OUR MORE ON THE MENU (MOM) PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES
FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TO AT-RISK HOMEBOUND SENIORS. SHOWN ARE
(FROM LEFT) THAI SUKRACHAN, MOM COORDINATOR; EL-LEN SCHMEDING, AIS
DIRECTOR; JIM JIMBO SOMECK, FOUNDER OF JIMBOS...NATURALLY!; AND
KELLY HARTFORD, JIMBOS DIRECTOR OF MARKETING. MOM IS CURRENTLY
SERVING 250 HOME-DELIVERED MEAL CLIENTS WHO ARE UN-ABLE TO SECURE
FRESH PRODUCE FOR THEMSELVES. MORE CLIENTS WILL BE SERVED AS
DONATIONS BUILD. FOR MORE ON MOM, VISIT WWW.GIVETOMOM.ORG.
DR. PAUL NUSSBAUM
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Honoring RSVP: LEAD WITH EXPERIENCE
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Angie Galvan, nominat-ed by Marcie Stansberry and Bonnie Dupree
with Serving Seniors (La Mesa site), is the RSVP Volun-teer of the
Month. Angie has been a volunteer at that site for 20 years. She
continues to be a wonder-ful asset to the centers senior lunch
program. Angie is an excellent food server, helps make sure the
proper amounts of food are given on every tray and that the serving
guide is followed every day. She takes pride in all areas of the
kitchen, making sure all the counters, sinks, stove, refrigerator,
and cupboards are cleaned and sanitized. She inspects every serving
utensil before it is used for the meals.
Her volunteer activities dont stop there. She volunteers with
the food pantry at her church, helping those in need. Angie even
supplies seniors in the La Mesa program with pastries and other
dessert items for their morning snack.
Angie is a blessing to us and our senior program, says Marcie
Stansberry. We are fortunate to have her on our team!
Congratulations, Angie! Your dedication to volunteering is making a
difference in East County.
SPOTLIGHT: SENIOR GLEANERS
There are residents in San Diego County who are in need of food.
Throughout the county, Senior Gleaners gather food to help those
individuals and families in need. The gleaners pick and harvest
from gardens, orchards and backyards. They also gather from grocery
stores. The gleaner teams then redistribute the food to nonprofi t
groups who deliver the food directly to those in need. It is not
unusual for the gleaners to give in excess of 12,000 pounds of food
a month to nonprofi t groups.
This service to the community is accomplished with only 52
volunteers, ranging in age from their 60s to 85-plus. They would
love to have more volunteers to help them. In addition to providing
a wonderful benefi t to those in need, the gleaners help themselves
stay healthy. While volunteering, they are active and socially
engaged.
There are two gleaner groups: one focused in North County and
one in San Diego. If volunteering for Se-nior Gleaners is of
interest to you, call RSVP at (858) 505-6399.
MANY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
There are currently more than 80 active RSVP volunteer sites
throughout San Diego County.
These sites provide a wide range of choices for volun-teers in
both the type of organization (law enforcement, hospital, museums,
cultural, etc.) and the type of work with hundreds of different
volunteer jobs available.
The RSVP offi ce can help you fi nd the organization and job
that might interest you. Call (858) 505-6399.
WELCOME NEW ASSISTANT MANAGER
RSVP is excited to welcome Armida Martinez as our new Assistant
Program Manager, re-placing MyLinh Tran who was promoted to another
position in the County after eight years with AIS. We thank MyLinh
for her hard work for RSVP!
Armida brings extensive ex-perience working with seniors. She
was a case manager for more than 14 years in various programs
within the County. She also has strong customer service experience
in jobs she held outside the County.
Armida has a great sense of humor and loves talking with people
and problem solving. She will bring much to the program and our
volunteers.
ANGIE GALVAN
ARMIDA MARTINEZ
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JOIN THE INTERGENERATIONAL GAMES
For the past 13 years, active older adults (50+) and third-grade
students have joined together for the annual Intergenerational
Games (IG) event at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula
Vista. This years event will be held April 9. There will also be an
IG Games in San Mar-cos on April 1, and in Rancho Bernardo April
16.
The Games encourage adults and youth to forge a connection and
learn more about each other while having fun engaging in
noncompetitive fi tness and well-ness activities, such as paddle
tennis, nutritional bingo, ulti-mate Frisbee, and more. At the end
of the day, everyone wins a medal for their participation.
Besides providing one-on-one encouragement to the students,
older adults serve as role models and help dispel myths about
the
capabilities of seniors. The impact these Games are hav-ing on
the children is refl ected in thank-you notes sent last year to
their older adult buddies: This is the best day of my life, I wish
we could do this more often, and Now I know old people are fun.
Adults come away with a few lessons of their own; many remark how
impressed they are by their partners courteous manners, positive
attitude, and thoughtful conversation.
Enrollment is now open for older adult participants at the April
9 IG Games at the Olympic Training Center, 2800 Olympic Parkway,
Chula Vista 91915. Contact Pam Plimpton, AIS Intergenerational
Coordinator, at (858) 495-5769 or [email protected].
North County IG Games will be held April 1 at the Walnut Grove
Park, 200 E. Olive St., San Marcos 92069. To volunteer, call (760)
744-5535.
The Rancho Bernardo IG Games will be held April 16 at the Ed
Brown Senior Center at the Rancho Bernardo Community Park, 18448 W.
Bernardo Dr., San Diego 92127. To volunteer, call (858)
487-9324.
SIGN UP FOR HEALTHIER LIVING CLASSES
The County coordinates interactive and goal-oriented workshops
called Healthier Living for people with chronic health conditions.
Caregivers are also welcome to attend. Workshops are held once a
week for six weeks:
March 6 to April 10 (Fridays) from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the
McClellan Senior Center, 1400 Vale Terrace Dr., Vista 92084.
(Spanish) March 25 to April 29 (Wednesdays) from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
at the Public Authority-HHSA, 3890 Mur-phy Canyon Rd., Suite 250A,
San Diego 92123.
To register, contact Kyra Reinhold at
[email protected], or call (858) 495-5710.
WAY LIFE COACHES WANTED
Make a difference in the life of a young person through the
Workforce Academy for Youth (WAY). Older adults (50+) volunteer to
be life coaches to emancipating foster youth who are interning with
the County. Training and support is provided and a commitment of
three to fi ve hours a week of mentoring is needed. For details,
contact Pam Plimpton, Intergenerational Coordinator, at (858)
495-5769 or email: [email protected].
EVENT SCHEDULED FOR KINSHIP FAMILIES
Grandparents and other relatives raising grandchildren have
unique challenges, including legal issues, school concerns, fi
nancial matters. The Countys East Region is offering a Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren Sym-posium from 8:30 to 1 p.m. Saturday,
March 28, at the Meridian Baptist Church, 550 S. 3rd St., El Cajon
92019. Lunch and onsite childcare provided. RSVP: call 2-1-1.
JOIN A COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
Four regional Community Action Networks focus on the issues and
needs of older adults and persons with disabilities. They welcome
your participation.
The San Diego Community Action Network (SanDi-CAN) meets from
10:30 a.m. to noon on the last Tuesday of each month at the War
Memorial Building, 3325 Zoo Dr., San Diego. For more information,
contact Brian Rollins: (858) 505-6305.
The East County Action Network (ECAN) meets from 1 to 3 p.m. the
third Wednesday of each month at the Renette Recreation Center, 935
S. Emerald Ave., El Ca-jon. For more information, call Kathy
Holmes-Hardy: (619) 401-3994.
The South County Action Network (SoCAN) meets from 1 to 3 p.m.
on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the San Diego County
Library, Bonita-Sunnyside Branch, 4375 Bonita Rd., Bonita. Contact
Anabel Kuyk-endall: (619) 476-6223.
The North County Action Network (NorCAN) meets from 1 to 3 pm.
on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the San Marcos Senior
Center, 111 Richmar Ave., San Marcos. For details, call Marty Dare:
(858) 505-6300.
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MARCH 11, WEDNESDAYNOON TO 1 P.M.Healthy Aging with Fitness,
will be presented by Sharp physician Mark Howard at the Point Loma
Community Presbyterian Church, 2128 Chatsworth Blvd, San Diego.
RSVP required; call (800) 827-4277.
MARCH 11, WEDNESDAY11:15 A.M. TO NOONFree seated exercise
classes are offered on Wednesdays at the Chal-lenge Center, 5540
Lake ParkWay, La Mesa. Improves strength and fl ex-ibility. For
details: (619) 667-8644. MARCH 12, THURSDAY3 TO 5 P.M.Games, such
as checkers, chess, Mahjong and Scrabble, will be offered for
adults to enjoy on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at
the San Carlos Branch Li-brary, 7265 Jackson Dr., San Diego 92119.
For more information, call (619) 527-3430.
MARCH 17, TUESDAY6:30 TO 7:30 P.M.Maximizing Your Brain Health
will be presented by Holly Pobst
SEND IN YOUR ITEMSThis monthly calendar welcomes your
contributions. Just send items by the 10th of each month preceding
the is-sue date to: Denise G. Nelesen, editor, Aging &
Independence Services, PO Box 23217, San Diego, CA 92193-3217. Or
you can e-mail to: [email protected].
with the Alzheimers Association at the Solana Beach Branch
Library, 157 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach 92075. The same topic will
be pre-sented from 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday, March 23, at the Rancho
San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Di-ego, El Cajon. To RSVP
or for more information, call (800) 272-3900.
MARCH 18, WEDNESDAY9 A.M. TO NOONSpring into Healthy Living, a
free health fair for older adults, will be held at the Cameron
YMCA, 10123 Riverwalk Dr., Santee 92071. In-cludes free health
screenings and medication review, plus information on resources,
breakfast and more. Prescription drug disposal available. To RSVP
or for more information, call (877) 926-8300.
MARCH 19, THURSDAY12:30 TO 3:30 P.M.San Diegos Got Talent, the
citys annual talent show for older adults, will be performed at the
Balboa Park Club, 2150 Pan American Road West in Balboa Park. RSVP
by calling (619) 236-6905. Cost is $3 prepaid or $5 at the
door.
MARCH 19, THURSDAY1:30 TO 3 P.M.What to Do with Photos and
Videos from Your iPhone will be offered at the Lawrence Family
Jewish Com-munity Center, 4126 Executive Dr. in the UTC area. Cost
is $10. Bring your charged iPhone and know your Apple ID and
password. RSVP by March 12 to Melanie Rubin: (858) 362-1141.
MARCH 28, SATURDAY8 A.M.A one-mile or 5K walk/run to benefi t
Meals-on-Wheels will be held at RoadRunner Sports, 5553 Copley Dr.,
San Diego 92111. Cost is $35. Race begins at 9 a.m. Participants
en-couraged to wear a wig. For details:
www.meals-on-wheels.org.
MARCH 28, SATURDAY8:30 A.M. TO 1 P.M.Grandparents Raising
Grandchil-dren Symposium will be held at the Meridian Baptist
Church, 550 S. 3rd St., El Cajon 92019. Get help with legal
matters, school issues, custody concerns. Lunch and onsite
childcare provided. RSVP required; call 2-1-1.
APRIL 8, WEDNESDAY9 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M.Finding the Balance in
Caregiving will be held at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church,
120 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach 92075. RSVP by April 6 to (800)
827-4277.
APRIL 10, FRIDAY1 TO 3 P.M.7 Smart Strategies for 50+
Job-seekers will be held at Grossmont College, Room 55-522. Call
(855) 850-2525 to register. For more infor-mation, call (619)
644-7247.
ADVISORY COUNCIL The AIS Advisory Council will meet at noon
Monday, March 9, at AIS, 5560 Overland Ave., Third Floor, San Diego
92123. These meetings are open to the public.
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